You care about 2 millions more per year because we're playing with a salary cap and every penny counts.

We could have had Subban long-term for around 4,5M.

Now we'll have to pay him 5,5M and up, most definitely.

It's just bad asset management. See the Preds, they saw good things in Josi and just locked him up for 7 years at 4M/per. Sure, it may not look like a bargain right now, but they think he'll develop to a point where the contract will turn into a steal. It's what we call a calculated risk.

Bergevin mismanaged the situation and got lucky the situaton turned out the way it did, if only for the fact Subban could have turned his back to the team and ask for a trade.

Everybody is glad Subban developped the way he did, and I'd be more than happy to lock him up long-term to a contract he fully deserves, but we could have had him for less, and that's a fact. And I don't believe this contract saga is somehow the reason Subban developped the way he did, everybody could see from miles away (at least, most Habs fans) that he had Norris potential.